Recloseable plastic film bags of the type having complementary zipper profiles are today commonly and widely used in various applications for temporarily or semi-permanently storing many different goods such as, for example, foods, electronic equipment, mechanical components, specimens, etc. When recloseable bags are individually used manually for placing products or goods therein, it is desirable for such bags to be provided in packs of large quantities and to easily and readily be individually dispensable therefrom.
An example of recloseable individually dispensable plastic film bags are disclosed in Bruno, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,586. There, recloseable plastic film bags are provided with a flap attached to the back wall of the bag and extending upwardly therefrom. Holes are formed on the flap for mounting or supporting the bags by receiving a peg therethrough. The bag front wall is provided with a finger flap to enable a user to insert his finger therein and remove an individual bag from the stack on the mounting pegs. Individual bags which are removed from the pegs in this fashion require that the user then first pull the zipper profiles apart and open the bag prior to use. In an alternate embodiment, the bags are provided in an initially open condition with the zipper profiles detached from one another thereby eliminating the cumbersome step of having to open the individual bags after pulling them off of the pegs. Pre-opened bags, however, are undesirable because they are not easily stacked and require substantially more storage space and, further, because prior to their use, the bags could inadvertently become contaminated by something entering or falling into the bag cavity.
Another example of prior recloseable plastic film bags which are supported and individually dispensable are disclosed in Huseman, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,309,698 and 5,419,437. There, recloseable plastic film bags having interlocking zipper profiles are provided having a header portion extending upwardly from the back wall. The bags are supported by the header. A perforation is provided on the header portion above the zipper profiles and the strength of the perforation is greater than the strength of the zipper profiles such that pulling on the front wall lip first causes the zipper profiles to separate and, thereafter, causes the bag to be separated from its header at the perforation. Typically, the header portions above the perforations are attached together by staples, hot needle/heat welding, or other suitable means. The header portions above the perforations essentially serve only to support the individual bags and, thus, after the bags are ripped or separated therefrom, are either discarded or preferably recycled. Accordingly, although this recloseable bag structure provides bags which are initially closed and which are dispensed in an open condition, the cost of material for manufacturing can be relatively higher in view of the header portion above the perforations which is discarded.